Nebraska Man Killed by Bull While Checking Cattle

A man in Nebraska was killed on Feb. 5 after he was attacked by a bull while attempting to check on cattle.

The Nuckolls County Sheriff’s Office reports that at 7:14 pm on Tuesday authorities responded to a 911 call after a woman reported finding her boyfriend in a field. A deputy arrived at the scene 1/2 mile west of Road 3100 on Road Z in Nuckolls County, just 2 miles southwest of Deweese and determined the man was deceased.

Nuckolls County Attorney John Hodge identified the man as Kenneth Volz, 40, of Fairfield, Neb.

According to authorities, Volz was checking on cows with a bull present in the field and he was carrying a bucket. The sheriff’s office says that the bull at some point attacked Volz and he was unable to escape.

The map below shows the approximate location of where the attack occurred:

Farm and Ranch Safety

This tragic death is an important reminder that safety should be priority when working on farms and ranches.

Each day approximately 100 injuries happen to agricultural workers that result in lost work time, according to data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Unfortunately deaths are not uncommon in agriculture either with 417 people dying in 2016, resulting in a death rate of 21.4 deaths per 100,000 workers. NIOSH indicates the vast majority of these deaths were a result from vehicle rollovers. Farm safety is vital to all farm stakeholders from owners to managers to employees to visitors.

Here are some articles that provide safety tips and resources for farmers and ranchers:

Several years ago we were getting our herd up to move to our other farm. One momma had a 2 day old calf. My 12 year old daughter misunderstood her dad and began walking closer toward the momma and calf. The momma took off running at our daughter! She began running away with the momma getting closer quickly! When the momma was about 6 feet behind her, our daughter tripped, fell, and rolled!!! It was a blessing because the momma jumped up and over her and only barely touched her leg leaving a slight red mark!!!! By that time her dad and grandpa were there to distract the momma!! To this day, I cringe remembering that!